Billiard cue



E. LINDLEY BILLIARD CUE Filed Jan. 24, 1923 How/18v.

Nov. 30 1926.

5 part.

Patented Nov. 30, 1926.

nDwAnn Iun EY, or CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY.

BILLIA'RD CUE.

Application filed January 24, 1923.

The object of my invention is to provide a construction of billiard cueof metal which shall have all of the advantages of a cue made of wood,together with additional ad vantages which overcome the warping tendency of wooden cues and embodying other advantages which are referred tohereinafter.

More particularly, my object is to con struct a billiard cue of atapering'metaltube provided at the smaller end with a metallic mass,giving to it more or less weight and adjacent to which the tipissecured, the said mass providing the weight which is necessary to giveto the cue the proper balance for accurate handling.

As a further improvement in respect to the balancing, the additionalweight located near the tip end may be provided by introducing into thecue, adjacent to that end, shot" or other subdivided heavy material inmetallic or compound form which may be held firmly in position by asuitable means such as felt or other wadding fastened in placewithin thetubular body.

My invention further consists of details of construction which, togetherwith the features above specified, will be better understood byreference to the drawings in which: 7

Fig. 1 1s a side vlew of a billiardcue embodying my improvements; Fig. 2is a longitudinal sectional View of my improved cue, correspondingtoth'e handle end; Fig. 31s a similar sectional view corresponding tothe tip end; Fig. 4 is a perspectiveview of the head and tip removed;and Figs 5 and 6 are sectional views corresponding to 3, showingmodifications of my invention.

2 is the tubular body of the cue and comprises a tapering metallicportion which, at the handle end, may be of the largest diameteran'dsubstantially uniform to enable a firm grasp to be had upon the cue.The end of the handle part may be closed by a plug having a flanged end5 which fits over the edge of the tubular handle 3 and said plug may besecured in place in any suitable n ian ner, but preferably by atransverse. pin 6. The handle part 3 connects with the tapering bodypart 2 by a gradual reduction in diameter, asindicated at 3, to reducethe diameter of the body at its largest end to something below thediameter of the handle The smaller end' of the body 2 is fitted With asolid head portion 7', prefer- Serial No. 614,536.

ably non-metallic, to which the. tip 13 is secured, the said headportion 7 having a shank 8 which fits into the small end of the body.Preferably, shank 8 is of uniform diameter and the interior of the endof the body is bored in cylindrical form, as at 9, to tightly receivethe shank of the head portion, and the parts may be united by means of atransverse pin 10. The tip 13- may be of leather, cork or other suitablematerial and attached to the flat end 11 of the body by cement and,preferably, reinforced in its connection by means of the smallprojecting pins 12 extending from the head 7' into the tip to positivelyprevent shifting thereof in a lateral direction. The pins or prongs 12.

not only hold the tip 13 against lateral displacement, but also increasethe attachment of the tip to the head 7 by providing the interengagingassociation, which is enhanced by making the pins or prongs l2 roughenedor threaded and coated with glue or cement at time of applying the tip.The head 7 may be of metal and of more or less mass and operates as acounter-balance to the cue and provides the necessary weight adjacent tothe operating end, which is de sirable to insure the proper balance" ofthe cue as an entirety, it being undesirable" that the handle end shallbe materially heavier than the tip end.

lVhile it is manifest that the head 7 may be made in different sizes tosecure different degrees of balance, I prefer to provide an adjustablemass for securing various degrees of balance to suit requirements ofskilled billiardists, said means consisting of a loading of shot 15'located within the hollow body 2, adjacent to the shank 8 of the head 7,wherein it may be packed and held by a wadding 16 of felt forced inunder pressure and secured in compressed condition by a cross pin 17tlirough the body, as is clearly shown in Fig. 3'. Inplace of shot, theloading may be of a metallic substance in fine subdivision, or a heavymetallic compound, and I, therefore, do not restrict myself to thecharacter of the loading; the essential feature of this leading residingin the capacity to varyits weight effect upon the cue and hence thebalance thereof. It will also be understood that the metallic plug'5 atthe handle end 3 provides weight at that end, the size of this weightaffecting the heft of the cue at the handle end; and

where a heavy one is desired, the counterbalance weight at the tip endmay be varied accordingly. In this way, there may be considerableweighting of the cue at both ends, the balancing being insured by havingthe weighted ends relatively proportioned as to weight to secure thedesired results.

In the construction of Fig. 5, I have shown the shank 8 of the head 7screwed into the end of the body 2 before being secured by thetransverse pin 10; and instead of the tip 13 being secured directly uponthe head 7, as in Fig. 3, it may be glued upon a cushion bed 1 1 ofvulcanite fibre, hard wood such as lignum-vitae, or boxwood, or otherhard fibrous or slightly yielding substance, as distinguished from themetallic head, in which case a tip of less thickness will sufiice andthe action upon the billiard balls will correspond more fully to thatresulting from the use of wooden cues.

In the finished article the body 2 is quite smooth adjacent the tip endand the handle end 3 may be roughened or polygonal in cross section toinsure a positive grasp thereof when using the cue.

In Figs 6, I have shown another modification of my invention adjacentthe tip end of the cue, the same consisting of pressing the end of thetapered body 2 into a tubular nipple 8 over which the head 7", havingthe socket 8 may be fitted and secured against disengagement by atransverse pin 10 or otherwise. This head 7 may be formed of celluloid,wood or other material,

I of a more or less slightly yielding character and upon which the tip13 is secured by cement and, preferably, reinforced by the pins orprongs 12 secured to the head 7 and extending into the tip and cementedthereto, as before explained, if so desired. The tip and head, hereshown, may be applied to the other forms of one bodies. To weight thesmall or tip end of the cue, I may employ the shot of Fig. 3, or, inlieu thereof, I may provide a solid weight 15 fitting within the onebody adjacent to its small or tip end, the same being held therein byfriction supplemented by the transverse pin 18. If it is desired to varythe mass of the weight 15, the same may be bored as at 19 to lighten it.In this case, the head should first be removed and then the drillingperformed through the nipple 8*, until the specially desired balance issecured.

Where the head 7 of Fig. 3 or 7 of Fig. 6 is made of celluloid or otherpyroxylin compound, the pins 12 may be molded in position; in caseswhere other material is employed the pins may be screwed in or driven inas preferred. In some cases, where the head 7 is made of metal, such asbronze. the pins 12 are fitted into holes and held therein by solder orfriction. In Fig. 3, the head 7 may be of non-metallic material ormetal, as desired, and used with or without the weight 15; in Fig. 5,the head 7 would be wholly relied upon for weight; and in Fig. 6, thehead 7 is intended to be of celluloid or other non-metallic material anda weight l5 or its equivalent employed within the body of the cue. Thesevariations are all within the scope of my general invention.

In construction, the body may be made of fine steel tubing heated androlled on a tapered mandrel to approximate form and thereafteraccurately finished by being spun, at a relatively high speed, upon atapered mandrel and with a very slow longitudinal feeding of thespinning roller; and finally, the surface is ground and polished, platedor otherwise finished. The handle end 3 may be pressed by dies, knurledor otherwise finished, to insure a positive grip and definite handlingin use.

It will now be apparent that I have devised a novel and usefulconstruction which embodies the features of advantage enumerated asdesirable, and while I have in the present instance shown and describedthe preferred embodiment thereof which has been found in practice togive satisfactory and reliable results, it is to be understood that I donot restrict myself to the details, as the same are susceptible ofmodification in various particulars without departing from the spirit orscope of the invention.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 1. A billiard cue, comprising a tubular bodyhaving its largest cross section at one end to form a handle and itssmallest cross section at the other or tip end, combined with a compactmetallic mass wholly adja cent the tip end of the cue and consisting ofa substance in a state of subdivision or comminution packedtightlywithin said tip end of the cue to provide additionalpredetermined balance weight of regulated quantity thereto, andcompressed wadding secured within the cue at a distance from the smallor tip end thereof for positively holding the metallic mass in position.

2. The invention according to claim 1.

wherein the metallic balance weight is of shot and the wadding is offelt material in compressed state upon the shot and held in position bya transverse pin in the one body.

3. A billiard cue, comprising a tubular body tapering toward the tip endand having therein means for weighting the tip end of the tube, combinedwith a head of solid material interengaging and fitted to the tip end ofthe cue, the inter-engaging connection between the tip end of the oneand the head comprising a cylindrical portion of smallest diameter onone of the parts fittin with a recess on the other of the parts andsecurely attached thereto, and a tip pad of iii) yielding materialsecured to the end of the head by projecting pin portions.

4. The invention according to claim 3, wherein the head portion isformed of celluloid.

5. In a tip end structure for a billiard cue, consisting of acylindrical head of solid molded celluloid material having a mass suchthat its longitudinal dimension is approximately equal to its diameter,the rear end of which is formed With an annular extension providing acentral circular recess,

the annular surface presenting a large area to form a solid and extendedbearing surface, and said head at its other end having 1 a flat surfacefor the entire diameter of the head and provided with fixed ointedprojecting pins embedded in the ce luloi'd head, combined With aresilient tip of the same diameter as the celluloid head and resting 20upon its end surface to the extreme outer edge thereof, said tip held inplace by the projecting pins.

In testimony of which invention, I hereunto set my hand.

EDWARD LINDLEY.

